me, “Where did you say it was again?” “Doncaster,” I replied! Suddenly, over the phone, I could hear him frantically searching through his diary. “Do you know about the Doncaster Shield?” he asked. “It’s massively important! Only a handful of Roman shields have ever been found by archaeologists – but Doncaster has got one of them! That’s why nearly every re-enactment group in the world uses the Doncaster or Danum Shield! Right now, I have got Roman soldiers marching through the streets of Chester with the Danum Shield, but we’ve never had the chance to march through Doncaster!” The original Danum Shield is still right here and on display at Doncaster Museum; well worth a look if you have never seen it. Needless to say, the Romans did come in 2010 and have been returning ever since. Doncaster’s Roman heritage gets even more interesting. In Vienna, in the Austrian National Library (the former Habsburg Imperial Library) there is a map called the Tabula Peutingeriana. It is the oldest map of the Roman road network in existence, with major towns marked on it. And while the Romans were very good at building roads, they were lousy map makers! Even if you’re lucky enough to
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recognise “Britannia” there are very few places marked on the map – effectively the service stations for the Roman Army – but Doncaster is one of them, on the oldest road map in the world! Each year the Romans set up camp in the grounds of Doncaster Minster on the initial weekend of the St Leger from 10am until 4pm, with the programme being the same on both days. At 12 noon they march through town and into the Frenchgate Centre (quite a sight!) and at 2pm kids can join the Roman Army. Full uniform and training is provided, but the real hilarity is when the parents are invited in to the ring to face their fully armed offspring! The finale of the day is the Gladiator Contest at 3pm with battle-hardened veterans from all parts of the empire. If you’ve not seen it before do try and catch it one year. It’s terrific fun for grown-ups and children alike, but it also brings the history of Doncaster to life too – and if that gets the youth of Doncaster interested in their history, then that can’t be a bad thing.
End
All of this year’s events are listed in the Festival Guide which is available from the Tourist Information Centre. Whatever you end up doing, I hope you have a great St Leger Festival Week!